1. Technological Field
The present application relates generally to fraud control in telecommunications systems and, in particular, to preventing fraud in collect calls from a domestic origin point to a international terminating point in a long distance telecommunications network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The telecommunications industry has experienced significant changes in the way that customers are billed for their telephone calls. From the once simple method of billing the originating caller, many methods have been developed, allowing greater flexibility for the telecommunications customer. A predominant method for making telephone calls away from home or the office is by utilizing a collect calling scheme to charge the call. In this scheme, the party at the terminating end of the connection pays the charges associated with the call. This method has grown to include international destinations, which is the subject of the present invention.
Collect call customers may use any telephone facility, including public facilities, to make a call that will be charged to the account of the receiving party. When calling domestically, the process of making collect calls typically includes dialing an access number, such as “0” or “1-800-COLLECT”, waiting for an automatic audio prompt or an operator, and then entering the calling party's name and the called party's number. After that, the connection is made with the terminating party and authorization from the called party is sought. If authorization is given, the call is released and the parties continue their conversation. These collect calls are one type of a category of phone calls called “special service” calls. These special service calls, which include “700”, “800/888”, and “900” number calls, allow contemporary telecommunications networks to provide many services beyond direct long distance dialing. It is the long distance carriers that provide this special service call processing, which allows for toll-free calls, calling card calls, special rate calls, etc.
An example of a domestic collect call will now be described, with reference to FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 2. In FIGS. 1A and 1B, a caller at telephone 111 wishes to make a collect call to telephone 199. The caller may enter an access code or “0” and the terminating number to initiate the collect call. The call is then routed through Local Exchange Carrier (LEC) 120. A local exchange carrier refers to local telephone companies, such as the Regional Bell Operating Companies (RBOCs), which provide local transmission services for their customers. For purposes of the present description, we are assuming that the call is either to a long-distance termination point or that the caller at telephone 111 dialed in an access code that is routed to a long distance carrier. Either way, the call will be routed to a long distance telecommunications company. Specifically, the routers in the LEC will forward the call to the network of the appropriate long distance carrier (or Inter-Exchange Carrier IXC) 130.
After switching through LEC switches 122 and 124, the collect call is routed from POP (Point-of-Presence) switch 125 into the IXC 130, and then through IXC switches 137 and 132, to a bridge switch 135. The purpose of the bridge switch 135 is to receive calls from the IXC network and bridge them to Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) 140 and, ultimately, into the Intelligent Services Network platform (ISN) 150. Because special service calls require special call processing, they are typically routed to a call processing platform, such as the ISN platform 150. There are a number of ISNs within the IXC, but, for the purpose of understanding the present invention, one ISN will suffice.
An exemplary and simplified diagram of the ISN platform 150 will now be described with reference to FIG. 2. The ACD 140 is under the direct control of the Application Processor APP 156, which is a general purpose computer that functions as the central point for call routing control in the ISN 150. When the collect call arrives at the ACD 140, the ACD 140 makes a request to the APP 156 for directions as to how the call should be handled. Such a request would usually be accompanied by information concerning the call; e.g. the destination number, or Automatic Number Identifier (ANI), of the call, as well as the access code, if one was used. The APP 156 would recognize that the call is a collect call and, consequently, the APP 156 would instruct the ACD 140 to deliver the call to the appropriate queue. In this case, the APP 156 may send it to either to a live operator at the Manual Telecommunications Operator Console (MTOC) 154, or to the Automatic Response Unit (ARU) 152. The ARU 152 comprises two components, one to process the call, the other to prompt the caller with a voice response system. It is the ARU 152 that will ask the caller for the required final destination number (if it wasn't entered initially), the calling party's name, and any additional information. When a live operator is used, the operator enters the same information at the MTOC 154. Whether the call is routed to the ARU 152 or the MTOC 154, the same information will be entered. In other words, regardless of whether it is entered by the operator at the MTOC 154 or by the caller at her telephone 111 to the ARU 152, items such as the calling party's name will have to be entered.
The various elements in the ISN platform 150 are connected by a Local Area Network (LAN) 158, such as Ethernet or DECNet. Regardless of whether the collect call is being processed at the ARU 152 or the MTOC 154, certain validation information concerning the final destination, the paying party's telephone 199, needs to be obtained. For instance, whether the destination number is a pay phone needs to be determined prior to calling the destination number in order that fraud is avoided. Because of this and other reasons, the Bell companies developed the Line Information Database (LIDB) system in the early 1980's. This is a central database accessible from all telecommunications switches which provides information concerning credit validation; both the LECs and the IXCs have access to the LIDB and use it for call credit verification. A simplified view of this relationship is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, where the LIDB 170 is directly connected to the ISN 150 and shares information with LECs 120 and 160. This is simplified because the real system consists of multiple LIDBs, where each LEC maintains a centralized LIDB that is continually sharing information and updating the other LIDBs. The centralized LIDB for LEC 160 is the primary source for information on any terminating points serviced by LEC 160. IXCs may keep their own local copy for frequently accessed numbers of other LIDBs and for other systems to obtain information concerning their card holders. Even within an individual LEC or IXC, there are multiple intermediaries between the centralized LIDB and the automated switches or line operators that use LIDB information. For instance, an ISN platform 150 will often maintain a local copy of the LIDB 170 for quicker access. However, the entire system is often referred to as a single LIDB, as one skilled in the relevant art would know.
In our example, either the MTOC 154 or the ARU 152 accesses the LIDB 170 through the LAN 158, as shown in FIG. 2. The LIDB 170 validates the credit of the destination number, or called party, before the MTOC 154 or ARU 152 contacts the called party for authorization of the collect call. Once the call is credit validated, either the ARU 152 or MTOC 154 connects the terminating leg of the call, as shown in FIG. 1B. The terminating leg extends through IXC switches 132, 131, and 133, to the POP switch 166 of LEC 160. Once in LEC 160, the call is switched through LEC switches 164 and 162 to the called party's telephone 199. If someone answers at telephone 199, either the ARU 152 or MTOC 154 attempts to get authorization from the called party. If authorization is received, either the ARU 152 or MTOC 154 releases the call to the automated switches of the IXC network 130. This means the call is torn down from the bridge switch 135 and maintained by the IXC switches for the duration of the call. If the called party declines to authorize the call, the terminating leg of the call will be disconnected.
Fraud analysts or automated programs located at the Fraud Control console 100 can also access the LIDB 170 to read or alter information. Fraud Control 100 monitors the traffic on IXC network 130 and attempts to isolate suspicious activity. Thresholds are kept in order to issue alerts when traffic shows symptoms of fraudulent activity. If Fraud Control 100 finds fraudulent activity at a certain terminating telephone, Fraud Control 100 may enter the LIDB 170 and change the records so that the terminating ANI can no longer receive collect calls.
However, this method of blocking fraudulent collect calls using the LIDB 170 is of no help with collect calls that originate domestically and terminate in international locations. Unlike the situation described above, there is no LIDB maintained on an international level with countries such as England or Chile. For example, when a caller at telephone 111 in FIG. 3 attempts to make a collect call to a telephone, in this case, a cellular phone in car 399, in England, the call is processed differently. Although the collect call will still go through the LEC 120, IXC switches 137 and 132, and bridge switch 135 to ACD 140 and the ISN platform 150, the processing in the ISN platform 150 is different. Because there is no international LIDB, either the MTOC 154 or ARU 152 will make no attempt at credit validation, except contacting the other country's telecommunications carrier, in this case, British Telecom 315. Regardless of whether an operator at British Telecom 315, an operator at MTOC 154, or an automated program at ARU 152 makes the final connection with the called party, it is the foreign telephone company, British Telecom 315, which validates the final destination of the call, a cellular phone in an automobile 399. But often the foreign telephone company does not keep adequate records on all the telephones in its operating area, and the IXC network 130 will end up maintaining a long-distance connection for which no one will pay. This is particularly true of cellular phones in foreign countries, because cellular phones maintain their connection with the telephone network through a radio link with a base station 312. Cellular phones have no fixed location from which to disconnect telephone lines or block calls and, without a highly efficient local validation system in effect, can be easily used fraudulently.
Therefore, there is a need to block fraudulent collect calls from domestic originating points to international terminating points through long distance telecommunications systems. Furthermore, the manner of blocking calls must be maintained within the long distance telecommunication system.